The American Cancer Society says about 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, and the average age is about 67. As a urologist for The Villages Health, Dr. Michael Daugherty deals with the disease every day. He recommends men 50 and older get screened annually.
“Typically, the way we find prostate cancer is through a blood test called the PSA, (prostate-specific antigen),” he said. The test is often done by a primary care physician, who measures the amount of a specific protein in the blood that could signal prostate cancer. If the PSA is elevated, the patient will be referred to a urologist for an examination. “If we feel it’s warranted, we order an MRI of the prostate,” Daugherty said. “If the MRI shows anything suspicious, the next step would be a biopsy.”
Elevated PSA is not always a result of cancer, however. Certain medications, procedures, conditions, or even vigorous activity can raise PSA levels. It’s important to discuss these factors with your health care provider to support a proper diagnosis.
While cancer is a scary disease, prostate cancer is a highly treatable type. Finding the disease early can improve the outcome and affect a patient’s rate of survival. However, since most men diagnosed don’t experience symptoms, the disease can go undetected without regular screenings.
Visit TheVillagesHealth.com/prostate-cancer to learn more about risks, treatments, and other prostate cancer facts.
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